The Girl With The Mockingjay Pin
by TheBoyWithTheSnares
Summary: They say the eyes are the windows to your soul. If you looked into Gale Hawthorne's gray eyes, what would you see? He sees the girl, before she became the one with the mockingjay pin.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Back again. Much thanks to Ellenka, who faithfully reviewed all my Gale fan fics, and even took time to give me a long lengthy message about him! :) GALE FOREVER!Thanks so much! Also, thanks to every other reviewer who took the time to read and review my story. You guys leave me the best messages, and it helps inspire me to write more, for you guys! The summary of this is basically Gale's early life. Before the 74th Hunger Games. Time for a disclaimer, cause I heard it's a just in case thing...**

****DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE HUNGER GAMES, 'CAUSE IF I DID, KATNISS WOULD HAVE BEEN WITH GALE! (so Gale doesn't belong to me...oh pooh.) Rights go to Suzanne Collins.****

Prologue

"Dad!" The growing boy gave the soot covered man a hug. It was a rarity for Gale to have time with his dad.

"Hey, Gale, let's get going. Your mother's going to be waiting for us." The man led the way home.

While they were walking, Gale said, "Dad. How come you're here today?"

"What do you mean, Gale?" His dad tried to shift the topic.

"I mean, you're usually always busy. How can you just have free time?" Suspicion was apparent in his voice.

Gale's dad was silent for a moment. "Gale. I knew I couldn't hide it from you. I'm here, because the boss of the coal mines let us out early today."

Gale looked at his dad. "Why?"

"Because tomorrow we are heading down deeper into the mines. This is the reward for it."

Gale's gray eyes widened. "That's too dangerous! You can't go! Mom won't let you!"

His father looked guilty. "I haven't told her."

"Why not?" Gale's tone was shocked.

"She doesn't need to worry. It'll be fine. But you know what Gale?" His dad turned sideways and smiled at him.

"Yeah?" He responded.

"I'll always be here for you, even when I'm gone. Always and forever." He pulled Gale into a tight embrace.

Little did Gale know that that would be his last moment with his father, or how close to the truth his father's statement was.


	2. Chapter 1 The Mines

**A/N: ...and here is chapter 1! Enjoy, and review, PLEASE?**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: Okay, here is the edited version of chapter one. Enjoy! :) I edited only a little bit. **

Chapter 1

When Gale woke up that morning, he felt like something was amiss. He made his way to the kitchen.

"Hey, honey," Hazelle, his mother, said. "Come, eat your breakfast. Don't want to be late to school!"

"Dad at work already?" Gale asked, though he knew the answer. His father would be deep in the mines, deeper then ever before, with unknown dangers lurking.

"Yep. He said that he would be late home today." She stirred something in the big cauldron.

Gale shoved the food down his throat, eating hungrily. He grabbed his things and shouted, "Bye Mom!" and ran to school, forgetting all about his bad feeling he had felt earlier.

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School dragged by slowly, and Gale slouched in his seat, ignoring his teacher's drones. Suddenly, a loud alarm blared throughout the school, causing Gale to jump. The blare. He knew this sound. It only came on when there was an accident at the mines. An accident at the mines. An accident. Oh no. His father was in the mines. Deep in the mines today. At first, he was frozen. Then the loud alarms sank into him. And he stood up, running out of the room, weaving his way around his panicked peers and teachers, who were crowded everywhere.

Gale ran straight out of school and to the mines. He knew Rory and Vick would be at home, as he had told to go there should the alarms ever sound. And he knew his mother would be at the mines, anxiously waiting for news.

Once Gale got to the mines, he gasped. The situation was worse then he thought. Smoke rose in great pillars from the mines. Injured men were lifted out. Panic was evident in everyone's eyes, displaying their terror and dismay.

Gale pushed his way through the crowd that was barely contained by a flimsy rope, hoping to find his mom. He screamed out for her, and saw her clutching at her kitchen apron, crying.

"Mom!" Gale shouted in relief, glad to have found her.

"Gale!" She cried, pulling him close.

"What happened?" Gale surveyed the area.

"There was a some accident. The mines collapsed, and your father - your father was inside." A few more tears were shed from her. Then more men were being lifted out, and she frantically shoved through the crowd, hoping to find her husband.

Gale followed suit. His mom was already asking around, only to be crushed by the emergency workers who responded that they hadn't found her husband yet. And more tears fell.

Seconds, then minutes, and finally hours passed. People were reunited with their loves ones and went home. Others cried with anguish when dead bodies were found. But Gale and his mother waited till night fell. And his father was nowhere to be found. Gale remembered his siblings, and steered his mom home.

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Once they were home, they found Rory and Vick frightened, clutching each other.

Gale sadly bent down. "Hey, guys. Are you okay?"

They nodded apprehensively. "What happened?" Vick asked in a small voice.

Gale was unsure of how to break the news. "Let's eat dinner first." He ushered them to the table and conjured up a fire, then cooked a hot soup for them. They ate slowly, with no appetite. His mother ate nothing at all, staring blankly at them.

A knock at the door startled them. Gale made a movement to open it, but Hazelle beat him there. There was whispering, then the door shut. Gale peered at his mom. She shook her head and only burst into more tears. She gestured to a fancy creamy envelope, made of thick expensive material. It was obviously from the mayor - everyone else was too poor to afford material like that. He lifted the flap, and pulled out another thick, cream colored sheet.

The paper said:

...

**DEDICATION TO THE COAL MINERS**

...

We cordially invite the family and friends of the lost coal miners to an honorary celebration of their hard work and life.

The Justice Building

December 25, 2011

12:00 PM

...

Sincerely,

The Mayor

District 12

...

Hazelle let out a heart wrenching cry. Gale turned to Rory and Vick. Vick let out a whimper. Rory, being the second oldest, sniffled and whispered, "What happened to Dad?"

Gale hesitated. What could he say?

Rory slowly stood up from the table. "He's gone, isn't he?"

Gale protested. "There's still hope. They can find him."

Rory just shook his head. "How can he live underground, crushed?"

Hazelle let out a gasp of shock. "Don't say such things, Rory!"

Rory sank back down, and his shoulders heaved. Vick blinked for a second, uncomprehendingly. Then the words sank in and he too broke down. Tears trickled down Gale's face, seeing his family distraught. Now what?

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After calming down his brothers, Gale managed to coax them into the wash room. He cleaned them up, then tucked them into bed. His mother was not as cooperative. She had sat still as a statue, refusing to eat, refusing to do anything at all.

Gale sat across from his mother. "Mom?" He was tentative, waiting to see her reaction.

To his surprise, she answered. "Yes?" It was barely above a whisper, but still an improvement.

"You need to get yourself together. I know it's hard that Dad's gone. But we have to keep it together. We have to be strong for the kids. You have another one coming as well." He motioned to her bulging belly, just days away from being born.

She stifled a sob. "How? How can I be strong when he's gone? Who will care for us? We will all die!" Her voice was raised at the end.

"Sssh!" He tried to get her to settle down. "The boys are sleeping. Mom. Listen to me. I'll take care of you guys. We can work together to survive."

Tears fell from her eyes. But when she opened them, there was a strong gleam in them. "You're right Gale. We have to stay strong. I know you'll make me proud." She stood up and hugged him. "We can do it somehow."

Gale clutched his mother tightly. He would find a way to keep his family alive, no matter the cost. He was the man of the family now.

**A/N: How is this revised edition? Review and tell me please :)**


	3. Chapter 2 Medals of Valor

**A/N: Chapter 2 is up! :) I love writing this story, this has got to be the most fun story I've written so far! Oh yeah. I haven't done disclaimers on my stories, maybe I should? Does anyone know info about this? I heard if you don't you can get sued by the author..is it true? Oh well. To be safe I reuploaded the prologue with one, so sorry if your reviews are gone~**

Chapter 2

_A FEW DAYS LATER_

Eventually it was December 25, the day of the honoring of the lost coal miners. Gale hauled himself up from the tiny bed, careful not to wake his younger brothers. It was today. Going to the ceremony today really meant his father was gone. It really meant they had to move on without him.

His mother was already up, cooking a warm meal for her children. Her best clothes were hanging on the back of a chair.

"Hey, Mom. What time is it?" He dreaded when they would have to go.

His mother looked outside. "It's eleven. Wash up and get dressed. It's almost time for the ceremony." She turned and gave him a sad smile.

"Okay," Gale mumbled. He stumbled to the small washroom with his best clothes, an old black suit. After finishing, he headed out and sat down at the table, where a bowl of soup was placed. He ate the food with no appetite.

After finishing the soup, his mom said, "Gale? Could you go wake up your brothers and get them dressed?"

"Yeah, Mom." Gale pushed open the door to the tiny bedroom. "Hey guys, get up."

"Urhagadliealhfela," was the reply.

"Seriously. Guys, up. We gotta get reay to go." Gale waited impatiently.

There was no movement from the boys. Gale whipped the blanket off of their small bodies.

"No! Gale, give it back!" Vick shouted.

"Yeah!" Rory chimed in.

Gale chuckled evilly. "Nope."

Rory and Vick huddled together, trying to create some warmth.

Gale dragged them off the bed and steered them into the washroom, ignoring their whining. He went back to bedroom and pulled the boys' best outfits out of the closet, and set them on the bed.

After they were done washing up, he motioned to the clothes. "Change now, guys."

Complaints and whines immediately popped out as soon as the words left his mouth.

Gale felt like his head would explode. He was so frustrated. He was being strong for their sakes, and his mother's sake, and for the unborn baby's sake. He shouted, amid the cries, "STOP IT! WE HAVE TO DO THIS FOR DAD!"

Silence. Damn. He had promised not to lose it. He had promised to stay strong. He punched the wall.

"Sorry Gale," the two whispered. They quickly started stripping their clothes and slipping on the suits.

Gale sighed. "No, it's my fault. Shouldn't have done that. Just hurry up so we can get going."

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When Gale arrived at the Justice Building with his family, he found many people crying. One person stood out in particular - a blond haired lady (which was odd in District 12), devoid of any emotion. She looked and walked like a zombie, being led to her seat by a small blonde girl of only about six years of age.

Hazelle tapped his shoulder. "Gale, let's get to our seats." He followed her and sat down with his family.

Eventually, after what had seemed like an eternity, the mayor finally mounted the stage. "Good day, District 12."

There was no response. Silence. The mayor cleared his throat and pulled at his tie uncomfortably. "Well, we are gathered here today to honor the miners we lost last month. It is a terrible tragedy, and we would like to give thanks to their families as well. Those who lost a family member will receive a compensation fee. The eldest child in the family will also come up to accept our offering: a medal of valor. Let us begin in alphabetical order."

"First, the Abbott family, please rise." The mayor droned on.

At last, he announced, "The Everdeen family, please rise." Gale turned. It was the blonde lady. Mrs. Everdeen, apparently. A girl, about ten or eleven years old, rose and walked to the stage. She had long, dark hair wound in a long braid. She wore a fitting, formal gray dress, the same shade as her eyes, Gale noted. At last she accepted the medal and headed back to her seat.

Time passed, and Gale heard his last name. "The Hawthorne family, please rise." He stood up, and his family did as well beside him. He proceeded to the stage and slowly made his way up the steps. Finally he reached the mayor and shook his hand.

"Here is your father's medal of valor." The mayor handed it to him. Gale felt - he felt - he felt...confused. His father? Gone? Gale half expected his father to jump out somewhere in the crowd and laugh, as if it was a joke. He stood still.

"Excuse me? Mr. Hawthorne, would you exit the stage?" The mayor tentatively waved his hand in front of Gale's face.

Gale jumped. "What? Oh. Yeah. Sure. Um. Yeah." He sat back down in his seat and waited for the whole thing to be over.

**A/N: This chapter is kind of short, so I'll try for a longer one next time. I'm really busy though :/ so I'll see what I can do. This one was kind of a filler chapter, not really interesting, just to move the story along, sorry if it sucks.**


	4. Chapter 3 Finding Catnip

**A/N: Chapter 3 now! :) Thanks so much to everyone who left a review! They all make me happy and inspire me to write more! :) Okay, here it is...**

Chapter 3

It had been a week since the ceremony for the miners, and the Hawthorne family slowly managed to get their life back in order.

Hazelle had given birth a few days after the ceremony to a little red head baby girl with stunning green sparkling eyes, which she had named Posy. A couple days passed, and she already caught herself a job as a laundry maid.

Rory and Vick had quickly matured, taking charge of helping their mother around the house and caring for their new baby sister.

Gale became the main supporter of the family, and their lives slowly became a new normal for them.

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_SIX MONTHS LATER_

It was any other day for Gale. Wake up, go to school, go hunting, bring the game home. It was the exact same thing everyday. Today was no different. After school let out, Gale headed directly to the woods, with hunting supplies in his pack.

He slowed down once he slipped through the fence, appreciating the forest, the freedom of it. Getting away from the totalitarian Capitol. Having a few hours of being free.

He made his way to the snares he had set up prior to heading to school, hoping that he would have enough food to bring home for tonight. When Gale arrived at the scene, he found a familiar looking girl holding burlap sacks, lurking around his snares holding dead rabbits. Her fingers reached out, almost touching the wires.

"That's dangerous," Gale remarked.

The girl jumped back, startled. She was rather young - only about eleven or twelve years of age.

_Where have I seen her before?_ Gale thought. School? No. He rarely paid any attention to school. She did live in the Seam, he knew that much.

She didn't answer. "What's your name?" Gale tried instead.

"Cahnip." She mumbled. Gale couldn't hear anything. What had she said? Catnip? Weird name.

Gale shrugged. "Well, Catnip, stealing's punishable by death or hadn't you heard."

She looked up at me and said loudly, "Katniss. And I wasn't stealing. I just wanted to look at your snare. Mine never catch anything."

Still a weird name. Gale scowled. Sure she was just looking. She looked like she was starving and ready to snag the rabbit off the wire. "So where'd you get the squirrel?"

"I shot it," she replied as she pulled a bow off her shoulder.

Gale's eyes automatically flew to the bow. The words came out of his mouth without his permission. "Can I see that?"

Katniss slowly handed it over. "Just remember, stealing's punishable by death."

Gale felt himself thawing out, and he felt a tiny smile tug at the corners of his mouth. He caught himself smiling, and replaced it with his scowl. He hadn't smiled in a while. Not since his father had died. After that time, there had been no time for joy. He ran his fingers along the bow, examining it from all angles.

"Where did you get this?" Gale inquired.

She replied, "My father made it. He used to take me hunting with him. He taught me how to shoot."

"So why are you out here alone then?" Gale knew the forest could be dangerous. "Where is he?"

She stiffened, and her face hardened. "He died in the mine accident months ago."

So that's how I knew her. She was the Everdeen girl, the one who had accepted the medal for her family. "My father died in that accident too."

Her face softened. "It was so hard after that accident, I -" She cut herself off, and her face became cold again.

There was a silence, then she said, "I could get you a bow."

Gale was intrigued. "How?"

"I have extras. But I need an exchange from you." She was ready to bargain.

Damn. Gale knew there would be a catch. "What do you need?"

"Knowledge. I have to learn how to keep my family alive." A worried expression took hold of her face.

Gale pondered it for a minute. "Yeah, I think we could do that."

She looked more relaxed. "Okay. When do you want to meet up?"

"Hmm..how about tomorrow at 7:00?" By then, Gale was usually already up and hunting.

"Yeah, sure." She stood there, uncertain of what to do next. "Well, bye." Katniss turned and left.

Long after she was gone, a whisper of a smile formed on Gale's lips. "Yeah, bye."

**A/N: It was kind of short, sorry. I will be back with more though! :) On an off topic note..BREAKING DAWN PART I tomorrow! Anyone going to watch it? I** **will! I can't wait for the drama! Team Edward. Yay! Please review?**


	5. Chapter 4 The First Lessons

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews, especially to...EStrunk! Oh yeah, Posy has red hair because I went to The Hunger Games Wiki (http:/thehungergames . wikia . com/wiki/Posy_Hawthorne *subtract the spaces between the periods*) and the description was listed for Posy. I also heard from other various sources that she had red hair. It's weird, but cool :)**

Chapter 4

When Gale got out of bed, the sun was barely up. The kids were all sleeping soundly, and Hazelle was already making her rounds to collect laundry. He swiftly changed out of his sleeping clothes and into his hunting clothes, slipping on supple leather boots. He grabbed his knapsack filled with materials for snares and traps. He checked on his siblings one last time, making sure they were safe and secure. He quickly bent down and kissed Posy's head. Then he stood up and quietly left the house.

Outside, Gale breathed in the fresh air, taking in the little sunlight that shone down. He stealthily made his way to the fence at the edge of District 12, then looked around before ducking under the fence. He ran deep into the woods, back to where he had set his snares yesterday. Katniss wasn't there yet, so he set up some snares while waiting for. Then he heard light footsteps behind him. He whirled around.

Katniss was standing there. She had one bow and a quiver on her back. She had a second bow in her hands. "Here. This one is for you."

Gale relaxed. "Thanks. I can teach you how to set snares now." He motioned to the snares that had been set up previously.

Katniss set down the bow on a flat rock in the clearing. Then she tentatively walked towards him.

"Okay. So the first step to setting a snare is..." Gale was a good teacher. First, he demonstrated the steps. Katniss watched in awe as his hands deftly tied some knots here, set up some wires there, and how it all ended up being a perfect snare. Then he slowly guided her through the steps, helping her when she messed up, encouraging her when she was close to making a perfect one.

After many attempts, some frustrated noises from Katniss, and some impatience on Gale's part, Katniss managed to make an okay snare.

"Not bad, Catnip," Gale told her, grinning.

She gave him an evil eye. "Kat_niss_."

He held his hands up. "Okay, okay. So. Let's move on to the bow, shall we?"

"Fine," Katniss replied hostilely. "You do know _how_ to use a bow right?"

"Only the basics," Gale admitted.

Katniss nodded. "Good. That's a start. Let me see what you can do."

Gale showed her what he could do with a bow and arrow. Then Katniss instructed him on aim, posture, and hunting techniques.

The time flew by too quickly, and eventually the sun was high in the sky. "Looks like our time is up for today."

"Yeah, I better head to school," Katniss replied.

"Can we meet again after school?" Gale asked.

Katniss shook her head. "I can't. I have to hunt for my family."

"Oh. That makes sense. How about tomorrow morning?" Gale was eager to learn more about using a bow.

"Sure." With that, she turned and left.

_This girl is something_, Gale thought with a small smile. _She is something._

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When Gale arrived at school, he was still smiling. His friend, Flynn, gave him a weird look. "Why the hell are you smiling?"

Gale never smiled, after all. No one had seen him smile since...the accident.

Gale laughed freely. "No reason."

Flynn was stunned. "First smiling, then laughing? Something's up, bro. Or is it a girl? Hmm, now that's something. Is she hot?" He smirked.

Gale said nothing, just laughing again. He left Flynn, walking to class.

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Gale was in his last class of the day when the teacher called on him. But he was too busy thinking. Thinking about Katniss Everdeen.

"...thorne. Gale Hawthorne."

Gale jumped in his desk. "Yes?"

The teacher had a frown on her face. "Were you listening at all?"

"I'm sorry," Gale said automatically.

"Never mind, Gale." The teacher turned away from him and continued talking.

_Why am I thinking of her anyway?_ Gale thought. Whatever.

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Once school let out, Gale headed straight for the forest, checking on his snares. He caught some pretty good stuff - a rabbit here, a squirrel there. Not bad for today. He decided to give his bow lessons to the test.

Gale looked around, letting his hunter senses take over his body. He saw a squirrel darting across a tree. Gale aimed, then shot. He managed to hit it in the backside - not the best spot to shoot an animal, but close enough. The squirrel collapsed, and Gale ran over to put it out of its misery. He picked up the wild game and dropped them into a sack. He decided to go to the Hob today since he had an extra squirrel.

Gale had never been to the Hob before. Sure, he had heard of it. It was a basically a black market. Gale never had a reason to go before. He found a dumpy old soup kitchen, run by a frumpy old woman.

Gale cautiously walked towards her. "Could I sell something here?"

"Yeah boy? What do you have?" She asked crabbily.

Gale lifted a squirrel out and handed it to her. "I have this."

The lady broke out into a toothy smile. "Heh. Not bad, boy. You've never been around here before, eh? I'm Greasy Sae."

"I'm Gale Hawthorne," Gale replied.

"Well Gale Hawthorne, thank you for the squirrel." She held out a few coins.

Gale raised an eyebrow. "Aren't we supposed to bargain?"

Greasy Sae wagged a finger. "Oh no boy. You either take my price or leave it."

"Fine," Gale answered, and turned and left.

"Don't take it too hard, boy!" Greasy Sae shouted. When Gale turned, she winked, then resumed her work.

That was interesting. Gale knew he would be coming back though. He left, and headed home.

**A/N: OH wow! Over 1,000 words this chapter! Yay! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, if you would like me to ppost another one, leave a review! Thanks again, I love you guys! :D TEAM GALE FOREVER. Who can't wait for the Hunger Games movie to come out!**


	6. Chapter 5 Thinking of You

**A/N: Hey! I wanted to address a few things.. **

**1) I'M SO SO SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! I am really busy and I felt really bad..**

**2) OMFG! WHO SAW THE NEW HUNGER GAMES TRAILER? It's crazy awesomely epic! :O And Liam Hemsworth is fine, ya know ;) GALE FOREVER. I can't wait till March 2013! It's taking too damn long to get here! If you haven't seen it, watch it here: ( http:/www . youtube . com/watch v=4S9a5V9ODuY& feature=topvideos_mfh ) Even if you've seen it, watch it again :D I know I have watched it like a billion times! :D **

**3) **Thank you to all you reviewers, as usual! Your comments make my day :)****

**4) EStrunk: It is genetically possible for Posy to have red hair - Hazelle or her husband both possibly could have had a recessive gene for red hair :) As for Gale already falling for Katniss - I won't spoil anything but I don't think he's falling for her yet. He's just thinking of her. She's on his mind - it could be for several reasons.**

Chapter 5

When Gale woke up that morning, he wasn't tired at all. On the contrary, he was energized and ready to work with a bow again. He swiftly changed and grabbed his pack, checked on the kids (especially Posy - like he always did), and headed to the woods.

By the time he got there, he spotted Katniss already there, waiting for him, while sitting on a boulder. "Hey, Katniss."

She only gave him a glare. "Let's get started."

Gale gave up being nice to her. "Okay, okay. Let's go."

Time soon passed too quickly, and they both had to store their supplies, then head to school.

When Gale was done packing his materials, he turned around. Katniss' back faced him, already striding off to school.

"Hey!" Gale shouted.

Katniss turned around. "What do you want?"

"Want to walk to school together?" he shouted impulsively.

He knew the answer before it came. "No." But then something surprising happened. Katniss gave him a tiny, no make that minuscule smile. Hell, it wasn't even a smile. More like a small upturn of the corners of her lips. "Maybe sometime later."

With that, she left.

Gale was stunned. This girl was wild.

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Gale saw her at school today. He couldn't believe he had never noticed her before. She was sitting all the way in the back row of his first period - the history of coal. When he walked in, he stared at her, and she ducked her head down.

He took a seat next to Flynn. "Hey man."

Flynn gave him a look. "What's up with that girl? Dude, you were just _staring_ at her."

Gale chuckled. "Nah man. Nothing's up."

Flynn gave him a skeptical look. "Sure, sure."

Gale just smirked and payed attention to the teacher. Or at least he pretended to pay attention to the teacher.

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After school, Gale headed back to the snares and traps he had set up earlier. It was then that he saw her again. He hid behind a bush, spying on her. She looked...graceful. The way she pulled out an arrow, the way she pulled the bow, the way she let it go and let it shoot out. There was something about her that made Gale awestruck.

He stepped forward to get a better view, and made a careless mistake. He snapped a twig. "Shit." He took a step back. Too late.

Katniss turned, wary. "Who's there?" She walked over to where Gale was standing, trying to locate the source of the sound. She cocked her head. She took a step forward.

Gale took a step back.

"Hello?" she shouted. "I know someone's there."

Gale still tried to hide.

Katniss jumped through the bush he was behind. "What the hell?" Her eyes were blazing, like they were full of fire.

Gale fell back. When he saw her, he grinned and gave a small wave. "Uh- hi! I'll just go now!" He turned, ready to dash off.

"What were you doing?" she demanded.

He sighed. "Nothing."

"Uh-huh. Doing nothing just spying on me?" She gave him an expectant look. "Tell me the truth."

"I was just studying your shooting tactics," Gale lied. "I wanted to improve my shooting. I was about to start practice."

Katniss just stared at him, observing his face. "I don't believe you, but I'll let you go." She was about to leave. "I'll let you go this time."

"Wait!" Gale exclaimed. "I just have to ask! Will you ever be nice to me?"

She didn't turn around. "Maybe. Depends on you." With that, she disappeared into the trees.

**A/N: Really short & I haven't updated in a while, but don't worry, I'm already starting the next chapter. This was more of a filler.**


	7. Chapter 6 Breaking the Ice

**A/N: Chapter 6! Already! Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm so happy I have some audience, LOL :p Again, I have to obsess over the new trailer...I CAN'T WAIT TILL MARCH 23, 2012! OMFG..it's so epic, I always get chills when Katniss volunteers for Prim and when the Peacekeepers are leading Katniss near the end of the trailer! :) Oh yeah while writing this, for inspiration, I'm listening to The Hunger Games trailer music! It's so epic, here's a link: (http : / /www . youtube . com/watch?v=lftd5qyMeic ) It's not good quality though since no studio version has been released. It's only a rip directly from the trailer. BUT I LOVE IT!**

Chapter 6

_FOUR MONTHS LATER_

Today was a good day. School was done for the day, and the weather was brilliantly sunny and bright. Katniss and Gale had managed to shoot two squirrels, one rabbit, and one wild dog.

Katniss still hadn't quite warmed up to Gale yet, but maybe that would change today. "Katniss?"

"Yeah?" she answered, not as coldly as four months ago.

"I have a secret to tell you," he stated.

"Me too," she admitted. "I've been holding back from you something that gets me extra money. But I think I can afford to share."

Gale snorted. "That's funny. I've been doing the same thing as you. There's a secret black market, where we can trade things for money. I know all the right spots."

Katniss carefully took his hand, and pulled him into the woods, leading and weaving around bushes and trees, until, at last, there was a green clearing with red berries scattered everywhere. "My strawberry patch." She held out an arm and gestured grandly. "Amazing, isn't it?"

Gale's mouth flopped open like a fish's. Strawberries could fetch a good price - only the wealthy could afford them. "Ye-yeah. Great. Yeah. Awesome."

She picked up a strawberry and popped it into her mouth. Some juice escaped down her chin.

He reached up and wiped the red liquid off her face.

She pulled away quickly. Then she abruptly changed the subject. "Come on. Let's go to that black market."

Gale picked up the game. "Yeah. It's called the Hob."

They walked there together, dead animals hand in hand.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

When the pair arrived at the Hob, they were greeted by curious looks. After all, they were just two kids, and what were two kids doing in an illegal market place?

"Over here." Gale walked towards a small soup kitchen. "This place is run by Greasy Sae. She's one of the few who take wild dog."

They walked in, Katniss being cautious.

When Greasy Sae saw Gale, she broke into a toothy grin. "Oh Gale, come over here!" He strode towards her, then stopped at the counter.

She pinched his face, then noticed Katniss. "Who's this? Got a girl, eh? I always knew you were a looker."

Katniss blushed bright red, and Gale was mortified. "No, Greasy Sae, this is just a friend of mine's. We hunt together."

Greasy Sae nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Really!" Gale protested. "Look, here's wild dog." He desperately changed the subject, hauling up the dead carcass.

She turned it over, checking the meat. "Alright, a good deal of meat. I'll just call it beef." She slapped down some coins on the counter. "Now get going!"

"Bye!" Gale called. Katniss followed Gale out.

"Tip: never bargain with her. It's impossible." He headed towards the bakery. "The baker loves squirrels. Better make sure that bitch - I mean witch - " Katniss chuckled. He didn't mean to say it out loud though. She was still young. "- of a wife isn't there."

They opened the entrance to the bakery and warily peered through it, making sure Mrs. Mellark wasn't there. "The coast is clear."

They walked into the store, the aroma of warm bread wafting out into the open.

"Mr. Mellark?" they called out. He wasn't there. Katniss walked around the bakery. She never went in. Her family couldn't afford the luxurious baked goods.

"What are you kids doing here?" a sharp voice rang out.

Gale whipped his head around. "Got some squirrels here, Mr. Mellark." The men started bargaining over the price.

"Alright. Two loaves of bread it is." Mr. Mellark grabbed bread off the shelves and handed them to Gale.

"And who is that?" Mr. Mellark noted. Of course, he knew who she was. He had seen her with her father, and had pointed her out to Peeta on the first day of school. Her facial structure was strikingly like that of her mother's, he noted.

"I'm Katniss. Katniss Everdeen," she answered. "Gale and I are hunting partners."

Mr. Mellark nodded. "Well - " He cut off.

"Are you here?" a shrill voice called out, echoing through the bakery. His wife.

He frantically motioned them to the door. "Out, hurry."

Katniss and Gale quickly scrambled out the door.

"What were you doing?" the mean angry voice shouted.

"Busy setting up the bread, dear," was the baker's reply.

"It better be true, or else..."

"She's sure mean," Katniss remarked. She remembered when Mrs. Mellark had dealt a blow to Peeta that day in the rain.

Gale snorted. "That's an understatement. She acts like she always has a stick up her ass. Once I came around to the bakery and she was there instead of Mr. Mellark. She told me, 'You filthy Seam kids, stop hanging around us! You're just trash.' Come on, we're going to be late home for dinner."

Katniss shrugged. "My mom and Prim are over at someone's house, tending to their wounds." Earlier that day had been a whipping, for some infraction.

"Come to my house," Gale offered.

Katniss quickly shot the idea down. "No, it's fine."

"I'm not taking no for an answer." He firmly grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the Hawthorne residence.

He pushed open the door and dragged her in. You could hear kids shouting and running around in the living room, and the smell of rich hearty stew filled the air.

"Gale!" Katniss hissed. She grabbed his arm.

"Come on, Catnip," he replied with a grin.

"Shut up," she shot back.

"Hey Mom! I'm home!" Gale shouted.

Hazelle left the fire where the food was cooking. "Gale, just in time." Then she spotted Katniss. "And who is our guest?"

Katniss quickly let go of Gale's arm, and stood up straight, brushing off imaginary lint. "I'm Katniss Everdeen." She held out her hand.

Hazelle smiled. "Well, it's nice to see Gale out with a friend. And no hand shaking." She pulled Katniss into a quick embrace.

She turned back to Gale. "Get the kids cleaned up and to the dinner table."

"Yes Mom." Gale leaped into the living room.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Posy screamed and covered her face with her hands.

Gale let out a peal of laughter. "Posy, it's just me."

Posy opened her fingers a little bit, creating tiny slits for her eyes. "Gale?"

He pulled her up and kissed her forehead. "What did you do today?"

"I got flowers for Mommy!" She pointed to wilted flowers on the floor.

"That's great, rosy Posy," he said, rhyming her name. She giggled.

"Come on, it's time to eat," Gale said. He opened the bedroom door and shouted, "Rory, Vick! Dinner!" The boys were out of the room in a blink of an eye.

Gale set Posy down carefully at the table. He turned to Katniss. "Come eat."

"No, it's okay." Katniss shook her head.

"Come on," he said. She stubbornly refused.

Gale sighed. "Alright, the ultimate plan must be put into action." He walked over to Posy and bent down tow whisper in her ear. Then he stood up. "Yeah?" he asked Posy.

She nodded. Posy got up and walked over to Katniss, and bent her head back to look up at her. "Miss? Would you please eat with us?" She had huge shining innocent green eyes.

Katniss threw her hands up. "Alright, you win Gale. This time." She glared at him.

He cracked up. "Ha! I knew you wanted to stay with me." He grinned mischievously.

Hazelle merely looked up for a second, one eyebrow raised. But when she turned back to the pot on the stove, she secretly was smiling widely. It had been a long time since she had seen Gale...happy. Sure, he did everything that was expected of him - go to school, hunt, trade, take care of the little ones. But the spark in him had been missing for a while.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

"Time to go already Catnip?" Gale stood up from the couch.

Katniss gave him a look of death. "Yes, Gale."

"Alright, let's go." He waited for her.

"You're not coming," she stated.

He crossed his arms across his chest. "Yes, I am."

"You're impossible, you know that?" she huffed.

He smirked. "Yeah."

Posy ran up to her. "Bye," she whispered, then hugged her.

Katniss was surprised, but returned the embrace. "Bye, Posy."

Then she called out to Rory and Vick, who were jumping around on the mattresses in the bedroom, "Bye guys!"

"Bye!" they yelled back, distracted.

Katniss exited the living room and into the kitchen, hesitantly up to Hazelle. "Thank you for the dinner, Mrs. Hawthorne."

Hazelle smiled. "My pleasure, dear. And call me Hazelle. Gale, are you taking her home?"

"Yeah Mom." He opened the kitchen door.

"Okay, good. Be safe!" Hazelle shut the door.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

The walk home was quiet. When at last they arrived at Katniss's front door, Gale said, "Night."

He started to head home. But Katniss whisper-shouted out in the silence, "Wait!"

Gale faced her. "What?"

Katniss slowly walked up to him. "Thanks for today. Good night." She abruptly turned away then disappeared into her house.

Gale stood there gaping like an idiot. She was actually...nice. To him. And it took four months. But Gale couldn't help but smile.

**A/N: A really long chapter! :) And Katniss is finally playing (kind of) nice to Gale! Review please!**


	8. Chapter 7 Thanksgiving

**A/N: ALWAYS, THANKS TO ALL REVIEWERS! :))) Happy (late) Thanksgiving of 2011! (It is Thanksgiving here, anyways!) My birthday's today! :) **

**Ellenka - Thanks for the review on "Skinny Love" & the warm wishes. I am feeling better :)**

Chapter 7

To Gale, it seemed like yesterday it was warm and sunny. But today's weather begged to differ. Today was windy and rainy. The brittle orange yellow leaves were crackling everywhere. It was a frigid day.

At school, everyone was excitedly chattering about Cornucopia Day. Technically, it was "Thanksgiving" Day. But what was there to give thanks for? This day was invented by the Capitol for the people of Panem to honor the Capitol. It was a mock and a slap in their faces, to show them they all must bow to the Capitol. It was called Cornucopia Day because it was a day when every family received a cornucopia filled with food and treats. It was one day where everyone could go to sleep with a full stomach. It was a day of celebration and joy, other than the Capitol worshipping part of it.

Gale headed to class, and sat in the back corner where he and Flynn usually sat. To his surprise, he found Katniss. "Hey, Catnip."

Katniss lifted her head. "Hi Gale. And don't call me that."

Gale just stifled a chuckle and sat down. "Why are you sitting here?"

Katniss gave him a look. "Why can't I sit here?"

"'Cause you usually don't?" Gale retorted.

"Yeah, well, I am now. Don't take it the wrong way. I'm just here 'cause we're hunting partners and stuff." Katniss tried to downplay her actions.

Gale didn't know why she was there, but he enjoyed it. "Okay, I got it. Chill." He smiled at her. No response. He thought he had finally gotten through to her when she hung out with his family, but it was two months later and no progress since then.

Katniss just gave him an irritated look. "Great. Now pay attention to the lesson about coal."

They just watched the teacher drone on for a bit, when Gale asked, "Want to bring your family to my place later? My mom invited you guys."

He saw her face soften just a fraction. "That sounds okay."

Gale smiled. "Okay."

And it stayed plastered on his face all day, much to the dismay of Flynn, who thought he was just a weird ass guy.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

After school, Katniss ran home to tell her mother that they were invited to the Hawthorne residence. She burst through the doorway of her house. "Mom-"

She found her mother crying, her shoulders shaking with emotion. "Mom?"

Her mother whirled around and spotted her. She stood up quickly and dabbed her eyes. "It's nothing. I was just thinking of your father. He always made this day special."

Katniss nodded slowly, unsure of how to handle her mother. "Okay, Mom. I just wanted to tell you that Gale invited us over to his place for tonight."

Her mother nodded. "Yes, well, that sounds good. I'll pack some food to bring along."

"Great. Where's Prim?" Katniss surveyed her home. Her precious little sister was nowhere to be found.

Her mother replied, "She is with a friend. A nice boy named Rory."

Katniss' eyes widened. "Rory? Rory Hawthorne?"

Her mom shrugged. "I think so."

Katniss smiled. "That's Gale's little brother."

Her mom turned around to look at her. "Is that so? Then she is already over there. Come on, let's go."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

The walk to Gale's was awkward, to put it nicely. Katniss had kept at a cautious distance from her mom since the accident. She never opened up to her mother the way she had before. They drifted, and eventually barely spoke at all.

Her mother's voice broke the loud silence. "How is everything, Katniss?"

Katniss answered uncomfortably. "Fine. School is okay, hunting is good."

Katniss looked over at her mom. "How about you?"

"Great. Healing patients, with the help of Prim. She really has a talent for it." Her mom smiled, and Katniss was reminded of her old mom, the one was alive, the one she had known.

Katniss nodded. "Of course. Prim, always the savior."

They approached Gale's house, and that was the end of their exchange.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Hazelle warmly greeted the two. "Katniss, it's nice to see you again!" She hugged Katniss. "And Mrs. Everdeen, it's great to meet you!"

Mrs. Everdeen returned the smile. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you, too."

The two older ladies started chattering, topics ranging from the kids to the town gossip.

Katniss ventured deeper into the house, looking for a sign of Gale or Prim.

"Boo." A voice sounded out of nowhere.

Katniss jumped. "What the hell?"

"Ha, got you good Catnip," Gale choked out in between his laughing fit.

Katniss smacked his arm. "Well, where's Prim?"

Gale straightened up. "Who?"

She rolled her eyes. "My little sister, playing with your little brother?"

"Oh. That's your sister? I never even knew." Gale walked towards the living room.

Katniss followed suit, and found Prim giggling with Rory.

Prim turned and spotted Katniss. "Katniss!" She ran over to her older sister and hugged her.

Katniss kneeled down. "Hey, Prim."

Gale quietly observed her. She had a gentle and tender look on her face. She was a completely different person around Prim.

"Food's ready, kids!" Hazelle shouted from the kitchen.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" The young ones ran around wildly.

"Come on, guys." Gale and Katniss herded the kids to the kitchen.

On the table was a turkey thanks to Gale and Katniss, and mashed potatoes, corns, and peas a la Capitol.

The children hopped right into their seats and dug in without hesitation.

The two mothers scolded them about the mess they were making.

Gale and Katniss simply smiled at the sight of a happy family and eat their food, savoring the flavor.

Most of the time, they were poor Seam families struggling to survive. Tonight, they were one big happy family.

Katniss and Gale simultaneously turned and looked at each other. And when Gale gave her a small smile, Katniss gave him one too.

"Happy Thanksgiving," she whispered.

"Yes, Happy Thanksgiving," Gale agreed, half mind blown.

**A/N: Not my best work, but I don't have any time to update and I wanted to do a Thanksgiving chapter real quick. Happy (late) Thanksgiving again! :) I hope you enjoyed this & please review! Oh yeah go to (www . thecaptiol . pn ) to get put into a district of Panem! I'm in District 12 :DD It's random though, and you must connect using a Twitter or Facebook account. You can even run for mayor! #HEADFORTHESQUARE**


	9. Chapter 8 The Meadow

**A/N: Back with another chapter! Thanks for all the reviews! **

**teamgale143 - I understand your reasoning. But I believe Katniss would behave as I portray her - she stated that it took her months to return the smile Gale gave her. As for Gale vying for her attention, it's because I have another continuing storyline for after this story. **

Chapter 8

_FOUR MONTHS LATER_

When Gale woke up that morning, the sun was shining and the air was filled with melodious chirps, thanks to the mockingjays.

He dressed lightly, and grabbed his things and left. As he arrived in the woods, he spotted Katniss.

"Hey, Katniss." Gale waved.

She turned her head. "Hi Gale." Katniss gestured to her bag. "I already got some good game."

"Great. I'll just set up some snares then, and we can just hang." Gale deftly set up the traps.

Once he was done, he asked her, "Want to go somewhere?" His eyes shone brightly in the light.

"Where?" Katniss inquired.

"Come on!" He turned and ran swiftly deeper in the woods.

Katniss just followed him.

At last they arrived at the destination. Katniss let out a gasp and took in the scene. "Wow."

"I know, huh?" Gale was amazed as well.

The sight before them was a stunning scene. It was a big meadow, the grass plush and green, glinting with hints of dew. Wild flowers bloomed in small patches. A peaceful flowing creek was located on the side of the meadow. Trees surrounded the whole area.

"How did you find this place?" Katniss breathed out, not wanting to disturb the peaceful silence.

Gale shrugged. "I just came across it. It's amazing, isn't it?"

Gale headed towards the creek and set up some nets. "This is to catch some fish."

When he turned around, he found Katniss lying on the grass.

She let out a small smile. "It's like...a different world. A way to escape the harsh reality of Panem, you know?"

Gale snorted. "I know." He slowly walked over to her and lay down next to her.

For a while, the two lay in silence. Then Gale propped himself up on one arm, ready to ask Katniss a question. But he found her sleeping.

Gale studied her. He found that she looked like a different person when she was sleeping. She looked...at ease. She looked younger, filled with innocence. After watching her sleep for some time, Gale himself fell asleep, drifting off from the cruel world to a silent peaceful world.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

"Gale! GALE!" Loud shouting woke Gale up.

"Huh?" He mumbled, rubbing the drowsiness from his eyes.

"Gale!"

Gale slowly sat up and his vision cleared. Katniss was waving her hands in front of his face.

"Where's the fire?" he asked, still half asleep.

"School already started!" Katniss was panicked.

Gale cursed. "Damn. Guess we were asleep for longer than I thought."

Katniss groaned. "We were asleep for two hours! How are we going to explain this?"

Gale grinned, mischief gleaming in his eyes. "Who cares?"

And so, they walked to school together. Once they arrived in class, the teacher glared at them. "Mr. Hawthorne, Miss Everdeen. How nice of you to join class today."

Gale smiled, turning on his charm. "Sorry, Mrs. Lylene. We were...occupied."

Mrs. Lylene rolled her eyes. "Alright. Get to your seats."

The class, meanwhile, had started to chatter quietly. The richer girls, who constantly flirted with Gale, whispered, "Why are they arriving together? I've never even seen them talk!" The girls glared at Katniss.

Gale suppressed laughter. "Catnip. Let's sit back here."

Flynn's eyes widened. "Woah! Why are you late and arriving with a girl? Wait! Is this your new girlfriend?"

A snicker slipped out of Gale's mouth.

Katniss gave him an icy look. "No. Not even close. We're just acquaintances."

Flynn nodded. "Mhm." He winked at her knowingly.

Katniss blushed, turning bright red. She could feel herself heating up. "Shut up."

The teacher zeroed in on the trio. "Is there something you would like to share with the class?"

"N-no," Katniss stammered out.

"Yeah, we're fine," Gale blurted.

Mrs. Lylene gave them a sharp glance. "Good."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

At lunch, Katniss ate in silence, sitting across from Madge Undersee, the mayor's daughter. The two weren't close, but considered each other 'friends' and sat together.

"Hi, Catnip." A tray of food plunked down next to Katniss.

She looked up. "Gale."

He slid down into a seat. "Yup."

"What are you doing?" Katniss stared at him.

"Sitting here with you. Now I'm eating," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because we're acquaintances." He grinned devilishly.

"Alright," she said.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

After school, after Gale checked his snares and fishing net, headed to the Hob.

At the Hob, he visited Greasy Sae.

She smiled at him. "Where's the girl?"

He shrugged. "Busy, I suppose."

"Uh-oh. Girl problems already? You naughty boy." She laughed.

He fervently shook his head. "No. I don't know. I don't understand her at all."

"Ah, and you never will. Girls are mysteries." She held out her hand. "Now where's the food?"

He handed over two rabbits and a fish.

She nodded appraisingly. "Good catches." She coughed up some coins. "Here you go. Have a good day!"

Gale decided to head back to the meadow, just to rest a little.

When he got there, he found Katniss lying in the grass, just like she did in the morning.

"Huh. What are you doing here?" Gale questioned.

Katniss turned, startled. She saw Gale. "Just relaxing. Tomorrow's the reaping, after all. I took out some tessarae."

Gale nodded. "Yeah, I did too."

Katniss suddenly piped up in a lame Capitol accent, "May the odds..."

Gale finished it. "...be _ever_ in your favor."

**A/N: This chapter kind of sucks..what do you guys think? REVIEW! Please! &check out my other Hunger Games fanfics please!**


	10. Chapter 9 The Reaping

**A/N: Thanks for the feedback! Everyone is always so sweet~ :) I love all you people. Okay, on with the reaping..**

**EStrunk - Sorry. All I meant was that I don't think that chapter was my best, but I wanted to get up a new chapter ASAP. **

Chapter 9

Gale stood in front of the small cracked mirror in the bathroom. He pulled out his best clothes, clothes he only wore to reapings.

"Gale? Are you ready?" His mom peered into the room.

"Yeah Mom." Gale walked out. "Is everyone ready?"

"Yes. It's time to go." Hazelle opened the door and let everyone go ahead of her. She watched her children, all walking to the square. But it was Gale she feared for. The young ones were not yet eligible for the Hunger Games. But Gale had many slips. And she couldn't bear to lose her eldest son.

She sighed, and walked out.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

When the Hawthorne family arrived at the square, it was already swarming with people, from the frightened twelve year olds to the bet takers.

Gale spotted Katniss and her family across the square.

"I'll be right back," he muttered to his mom. She nodded.

Gale was halfway there when he felt something clutch on to his leg. He looked down.

"Gale!" Posy whimpered. "What's happening?"

Gale lifted her up into his arms. "Don't worry," he whispered. "Now come on."

He walked over to Katniss, who was holding Prim's hand.

"Hey Catnip." He nodded at her mom. "Mrs. Everdeen."

Then he looked at Prim. "Hi Prim."

She shyly ducked behind Katniss. "Hi," she softly murmured.

Mrs. Everdeen took Prim's other hand. "Let's go, darling."

Katniss was left with Gale and Posy.

"Hey Posy." Katniss smiled at her.

Posy took her thumb out of her mouth. "Hi," she said, then stuck her thumb back into her mouth.

"So...Gale. The reaping is now." Katniss sighed.

Gale felt a surge of anger. The Capitol was just cruel. "Yeah, I know. May the odds be ever in my favor."

Katniss opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the cheerily irritating voice of none other than Effie Trinket.

"Now, now! Places, everybody!" Effie trilled.

Katniss and Gale gave each other a parting nod, and headed to their age group.

Gale handed Posy to their mother, and headed to the fourteen year old section.

"Welcome, welcome! The time has come to select one courageous young man and woman for the honor of representing District 12 in the 70th annual Hunger Games!" Effie was absurdly peppy. She was sporting a hot pink wig, and was decked out in a matching suit as well.

Then she launched into a speech about the honor of being selected, blah blah blah. All the crap that only Effie would believe in.

At last, she announced, "It is now time to select the tributes! May the odds be _ever_ in your favor!"

She walked along the stage to the glass bowl, calling out, "Ladies first!" She reached into the glass bowl of names, her pale hand darting around.

At last her hand surfaced from the pool of paper, a slip tightly grasped in bedazzled pink claws. Her nails sparkled at the crowd, as if to mock them, to say, _I will determine someone's fate, and it could be yours. _

She dutifully walked over to the center of the stage and pulled the microphone towards her mouth. Her absurdly bright lips parted, and she shouted, "Our female tribute is...Lunelle Aiana!"

There was scattered applause as a young girl, who was no older than Katniss, Gale noted, approached the stage. She reluctantly made it up the stage, her tiny frame shaking.

Effie smiled. "Give it up for Lunelle!"

She cleared her throat. "Now, on to the gentlemen!" She crossed over to the opposite glass bowl, going through the same procedure. When she opened her mouth, Gale's heart sped up. It could be him.

Effie beamed. "Gale-"

Gale was stunned. The odds were not in his favor.

"NO!" A loud outburst caused the crowd to fall silent. Effie gazed into the crowd, trying to find the perpetrator.

Gale turned his head, and spotted Katniss, bright red, with a hand clamped over her mouth.

Effie frowned. "Let us continue. As I said, our male tribute is Gale Thayleen."

Again the crowd clapped as the boy headed to the stage.

Gale felt his heart slow down to a steady rhythm, and he felt relief wash over him. He was safe. His family was safe. He turned to Katniss once again, and she caught his eye. She blushed again and quickly averted her eyes.

Effie kept blabbering on, and finally she said the golden words: "Goodbye! Have a nice day, and be sure to tune in to The Happy Hunger Games!"

Gale made his way back to his family. Hazelle had tears gleaming in her eyes. "I was so worried it was you!"

Gale waved away her worry. "I wasn't chosen, so don't worry Mom."

"Of course I'll worry! You're my baby!" She swiped away the tears. "Let's go home now that it's over."

"I'll meet you there. I need to go somewhere," Gale stated.

She had a curious look on her face, but only nodded. She led the kids off.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Gale weaved through the crowd of people, trying desperately to find Katniss.

He saw a flash of her head, then he lost her. He groaned in frustration. Unsure of what to do, Gale headed to the meadow in the woods. He needed time to think. Why had Katniss shouted out?

When he arrived at the meadow, he saw that Katniss was sitting there.

"Katniss?" He slowly approached her.

She jumped up, alarmed. "What?" She turned to leave.

"Don't go. Why did you shout out 'no'?" Gale stared at her intensely.

"It's nothing." Her tone was uncomfortable.

"Tell me." Gale waited.

"It's nothing," she repeated.

Gale was fed up. "Stop lying to me! I thought we had known each other well enough by know to be friends, but no, you keep shielding yourself away from me like I'm a bad guy."

Katniss whirled around, fury evident in her eyes. "You really want to know?"

Gale sighed, exasperated. "Yes!"

She was ready to explode. "I just thought that the Capitol was going to take away one more person I care about!"

After that exclamation, she stiffened. Then she ran away.

**A/N: T**he line Effie said ("Welcome, welcome...") is a direct quote from the trailer! Just wanted to use it! ^_^ And how was the ending? Dramatic? Might be OOC, IDK, so please review!****


	11. Chapter 10 Make Up or Break Up

**A/N: Thanks for the feedback! It's been far too long, I know! I've been so busy, winter break is coming up, and finals will be after that break D: On with the chapter!**

Chapter 10

Gale didn't pursue Katniss after her outburst. He was astounded. He had stood there, unsure of what to do next. After a few minutes, he came to his senses. He still had a family to feed.

While Gale was hunting and checking his snares, he was mulling over Katniss. When he was trading at the Hob, he was still thinking of her. He was so distracted he didn't even hear Rooba, even when she practically yelled in his ear.

She grew frustrated and hit him over the head with a frying pan. "GALE!"

Gale shouted out, "DAMN!"

Rooba glared at him.

Gale grimaced. "Sorry. So what?"

They made a deal, and he left, his mind already drifting back to her. Katniss Everdeen. What was it about her that paralyzed him? That stunned him? That made him happy?

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

At home, Gale silently prodded his food, pushing it around on his plate.

"Gale? Are you okay?" Hazelle's face was worried. She felt his forehead.

Gale pushed away. "I'm fine. Just exhausted. I think I'll just go to bed." Gale excused himself and headed to bed. He was the first one in bed, but the last one asleep.

That night, he kept tossing and turning. He was restless. She plagued his mind. As he heard his siblings' breathing subside into soft puffs, he pulled himself up and set his feet on the ground. He couldn't do this. He snuck outside and walked around, letting the cold, fresh air clear his mind.

Gale headed home and slipped back into the warmth of his bed. He suddenly felt drained, and fell into a deep sleep.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Regardless to the fact that he had less than six hours of sleep, Gale woke up energized.

He tossed on his clothes and supplies and practically burst out of the house. He was jumpy. What was he supposed to expect from Katniss? Would she even show up?

His question was answered as soon as he made it to their meeting spot. Katniss sat on a boulder, her knees tucked beneath her chin.

"Katniss?" Gale was unsure what to do.

An awkward silence filled the air.

"Gale." Katniss pushed herself off the rock and stood up and slowly walked towards him. "I can explain."

"Look, we can just forget it," Gale responded.

Katniss took a breath. "No. We can't just pretend it never happened. I can explain."

When Gale didn't say anything, she plowed on. "I, I don't know. I've already lost my father. I could lose my family to hunger. I could lose Prim to the Hunger Games. I've lost my friends. It's just - you're the first person in a long time who makes me feel...happy. No, that's not it. Not quite. More like..whole. Whole. That's it. You make me feel whole again, Gale. I feel something."

She stared at the ground, peeking through her eyelashes, waiting for a reaction. "Gale?"

Gale stared at her. "What the fuck Katniss. Why couldn't you just tell me? Yeah, I get it. You could have just made it simple. "

"Well," Katniss stammered. "I-I-I'm just not good at things like this!"

Gale pulled her into an embrace. "Catnip. I care about you too."

Her body was rigid, then it relaxed, molding to his shape. Then she pulled back, her face red. "Sorry." She turned her head away.

Gale reached out and gently pushed it back to face his. "Katniss. You don't have to be ashamed of caring. We're friends, right?"

Katniss broke out in a tiny smile. "Yeah." And this time, she hugged him. "I care about you, Gale," she whispered into his ear.

Gale laughed. "Finally. Maybe you'll actually be nice to me now."

Katniss chuckled. "Maybe." She swatted his arm. Then her expression became serious once more. "But Gale? I really meant what I said before. You mean something to me. I'm just not sure what yet."

And thus, the start of a beautiful and amazing friendship was born.

**A/N: Hey :) This was a short chapter, how did you like it? How was the end? Kind of cheesy, but I'm just a softie...I think I might have two or three more chapters, then end this. Then I'll start a sequel :) How about it? I would love your ideas and feedback! Much appreciated!**


	12. Chapter 11 The Lake of Rainbow Fishies

**A/N: Okay, I decided I will be doing three or four more chapters, I'm not quite sure yet. So we'll see what happens. Thanks for the lovely reviews, as usual. They make me happy :) **

**Second, have you gone to ( www. thecapitol . pn ) yet? That site is basically the official site for the Capitol, and you need a Facebook/Twitter account to sign up as a citizen of Panem. Sadly, you cannot choose your district, that is random. I AM IN DISTRICT 12! YEAH BUDDY! Mayors for each district have just been elected, and I almost wish I was in District 4. District 4's mayor's name is Hunter Phillips, and damn he's hot! ;D**

**Okay, I just keep rambling. On to the chapter!**

Chapter 11

_ONE YEAR LATER_

It was finally summer, that time of year when all children could just relax and not worry about the Hunger Games. Gale Hawthorne was one of them, and today he ran to the woods.

When he got there, of course, his best friend Katniss Everdeen was waiting. "Finally, Gale!" She grinned at him.

"Hi to you too!" Gale retorted. "So, what to do today? We got enough game, there's no school, so what's up?"

Katniss put a finger to her chin. "Hmm..I don't know. Let's just go to the meadow for a while."

Gale shrugged. "Why not?"

The pair strolled to the meadow, and rested for a while. Soon the bright hot sun rolled up into the middle of the sky, sending down lots of light and heat.

Katniss and Gale quickly started to perspire, heating up under the radiating sun.

Katniss abruptly jumped up from the grass. "We should go swimming."

Gale looked up at her. "What?"

"Swimming," she repeated. "It's way too hot out here."

Gale hefted himself up. "Swimming? There's no lake out here."

"I know where one is. I used to go there with my dad," she replied. "Come on!"

Katniss bounded off, leaving Gale, who reluctantly followed her.

"Here it is!" Katniss spread her arms, happily displaying a crisp, blue lake, surrounded by trees and shrubs. Fish swam under the water, their scales creating a rainbow of colors when in contact with the sun.

Katniss started to strip down, taking off her t-shirt, revealing a tank top underneath. Then she dropped her pants, revealing shorts. She backed up, then plunged deep into the lake. She stayed underwater for a few seconds, them emerged, bursting through the surface, water splashing everywhere. "Come on in, Gale!"

Gale protested. "We shouldn't. Who knows what's down there?"

Katniss squinted at him. "How come you don't want to swim?"

Gale quickly back tracked. "I'm just being cautious."

She crossed her arms. "Tell me the truth, Gale."

Gale sighed. "Promise you won't laugh?"

Katniss rolled her eyes. "Fine."

"Okay. TrthisIdunooweswm." Gale blurted out the words in a rushed manner.

"What the hell?" Katniss threw up her arms.

Gale took a deep breath. "I don't know how to swim."

Katniss stared at him for a second, then burst into peals of laughter.

Gale turned red. "Shut up! You said you wouldn't laugh."

Katniss tried to stifle her laughter. "I'm sorry!" Then she tried to compose a serious look on her face. "I'll teach you how to swim."

"Really?" Gale raised his eyebrows.

Katniss nodded. "Serious, come on!"

Gale tore off his shirt and boots, then cannon-balled into the lake. He surfaced and trudged over to her.

Katniss grabbed his arm. "Let's go!"

She first taught him the basic arm and leg movements, then started him off floating.

After a good two hours, Gale managed to swim a short distance.

Katniss applauded. "Good job!"

Gale smiled. "Thanks."

Katniss smirked. "I'm a pretty good teacher, I must say. And I couldn't resist seeing you embarrassed."

Gale glared at her. "Whatever, Catnip."

Katniss just grinned. "Uh-huh."

"Well, now we can swim together, right?" Katniss splashed him.

"Yeah, yeah," Gale replied, launching waves of water at her in retaliation.

After the swim lessons, they decided to go fishing. After all, they were in a lake full of fish.

Katniss pranced around, trying to grasp a slippery fish in her hands.

Gale laughed at her.

Katniss turned, hands on her hips. "Why are you laughing?"

"You laughed at me, I laugh at you!" Gale cracked up.

"Haha. Help me fish!" Katniss moved around the lake.

The two spent an hour attempting to fish, and managed to capture four fishes within that time.

They hopped out of the lake, and basked in the warmth of the sun. Once they were dry, or at least dry enough, they slipped their clothes back on and decided to head to the Hob to just walk around, each of them carrying two fish.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

At the Hob, Gale and Katniss hung out with Greasy Sae.

Greasy Sae grinned at them. "Finally decided to visit this poor old lady, you little devils!"

Katniss waved. "Hi, Greasy Sae. We were just cooling off at lake. We have some fish to trade here."

"Ooh, they look nice. Let me have a look." She flipped the fish all around, then grinned. "Alright. I'll take them."

Katniss nodded. "In exchange, we'd like two cups of iced lemon balm, please."

"Coming right up!" Greasy Sae hustled around behind the counter, preparing their drinks. She slid them onto the counter.

Katniss picked up the drinks. She handed one to Gale. "Thanks!"

Gale waved. "Good bye!"

They strolled down the crooked street, sipping their drinks, enjoying the sour lemon. At last they split ways, Katniss and Gale bidding each other goodbye, and heading to their homes.

On the way home, Gale rummaged through his thoughts.

_How far Catnip and I have come,_ Gale mused. _Just last year she practically hated me. And now...now we're friends. We're actually happy. I hope it stays that way._

**A/N: How was this chapter? This chapter and the next few will be filler chapters, to lead to the epilogue, so if it sucks, I'm sorry. If you like it, hooray! :D**


	13. Chapter 12 Prim's Tenth Birthday

**A/N: Another chapter! Thanks for all the lovely reviews, as usual..but I've been getting less than the usual! :( What happened to all my great reviewers? Come back pretty please with Gale/Peeta/whoever you want on top? Random thought now: I ADORE JENNIFER LAWRENCE! At first, I wasn't sure she was a good Katniss, but I've been Googling her, and watching interviews, and she seems amazing! She is really funny, humble, and down to earth! I think she is perfect :)**

Chapter 12

_TEN MONTHS LATER_

It was already May. The time had flown by quickly, and this morning Gale was woken by streams of light flooding the room through the window.

Gale knew he was late, due to the position of the sun in the sky. However, when he arrived in the forest, he was surprised that Katniss wasn't there. She usually was punctual.

At last she burst through the bushes, gasping for air. "Hey. Sorry I'm late."

Gale started unpacking his equipment. "No problem. What were you doing?"

Katniss made a face. "Today's Prim's birthday. I just don't know what I can give her. I don't have any money."

"Hmm.." Gale said. "How about -" He broke off midsentence, staring at a graceful, loping figure in the distance.

Katniss turned to see what he was looking at. "Holy shit. It's a buck." Deer were rare, and incredibly hard to capture.

Katniss slowly pulled an arrow from the quiver on her back. She steadied it on the bow, and drew back the string.

"You can do this, Catnip," Gale whispered, cheering her on.

Katniss aimed at the deer, and let the string and arrow go with a whoosh. It soared through the air and hit the deer square in the chest.

Gale lifted his bow and shot an arrow into its neck.

"Awesome job!" Gale dropped everything and ran over to the deer, hauling it up into his arms. "Better head to the Hob quick!"

Katniss nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Let me clean up the equipment first." She motioned to the materials strewn across the ground. She tidied everything up, and stuck it into a hole in a tree.

"Let's go!" They ran off to the Hob.

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The moment Gale and Katniss arrived in the Hob with the deer in tow, they were ambushed.

"I want deer!" one person shouted.

"Lemme at it!" someone cried out.

There was chaos, with everyone shouting and screaming all around them.

Gale struggled to hold on to the deer, which was no easy task due to the amount of people grabbing and ripping chunks off the deer, throwing gold coins to them.

Katniss made a futile attempt to shove people away, and picked up all the money.

There was suddenly a loud outuburst. "BACK OFF! OFF!"

Everyone quieted down and slowly back away to reveal Greasy Sae. She motioned to them. "Come with me."

Gale let out a sigh of relief, following Greasy Sae to her shack.

Once they were safely inside, Greasy Sae sighed and shook her head, resting one arm on one hip. "New lesson: never carry deer in to the Hob like that. Hide it, otherwise it will get ruined by mobs of people."

Gale nodded. "Thank you."

She sighed once again. "Now. I'll make you a good deal for this deer."

Katniss spoke up. "Okay."

Greasy Sae continued talking. "Take it to the butcher. He'll getcha a decent price."

"Thank you," Katniss said. "We will."

They walked on over (or sped walked over) to the butcher's. The butcher spotted the buck and clapped his hands. "Ah, a buck!"

Gale set it down on the counter. "Yes. It got a bit damaged though."

The butcher nodded knowingly. "That was the mayhem outside earlier, no?"

"Yep. That was it," Gale muttered grimly.

"No problem. I'll take it, though its value is lowered." The butcher looked appraisingly at the partially spoiled deer. "I'll give you twenty gold coins and a couple of venison steaks. How about it?"

Gale exchanged a glance with Katniss. She raised an eyebrow.

"Will do," Katniss chimed in.

"Great!" The butcher got straight to work, then handed them their money and their package. "Have a good day then! And next time you get a deer, discreetly bring it straight here!"

While walking through the Hob, Gale spotted the Goat Man, with a sickly white and black goat on a cart with some others in tow. The Goat Man was an old guy with swollen and twisted joints, whose name was lost to the world. He was horrible and mean, but he had a worthy profession.

Gale felt Katniss clutch at his arm. "Gale. I want that goat for Prim."

"She's hurt pretty bad," Gale responded. "We better take a closer look."

Gale and Katniss decided to go over to inspect the goat, and bought a cup of milk as to not irritate the man.

"Let her be," the Goat Man scowled.

"Just looking," Gale calmly replied.

The Goat Man kept scowling. "Well, look fast. She goes to the butcher soon. Hardly anyone will buy her milk, and then they only pay half price."

Katniss piped up, saying, "What's the butcher giving for her?"

The Goat Man shrugged, not really caring. "Hang around and see."

Katniss turned and saw Rooba approaching from the square.

"Lucky thing you showed up," the Goat Man said. "Girl's got her eye on your goat."

"Not if she's spoken for," Katniss bravely retorted.

Rooba frowned at the goat. "She's not. Look at that shoulder. Bet you half the carcass will be too rotten for even sausage."

The Goat Man has a look of loathing on his face. "What? We had a deal."

"We had a deal on an animal with a few teeth marks. Not that thing. Sell her to the girl if she's stupid enough to take her." Rooba turned, and Gale saw her wink at Katniss.

It took a hectic half an hour for Katniss and the Goat Man to agree on a price. A huge crowd had gathered, shouting out suggestions and opinions. If the goat lived, it was a great deal. If it died, it was a rip off. In the end, Gale knew she would take the goat, and she did.

The crowd thinned out, and Katniss whooped with glee. "I got Prim a present, Gale!"

Gale hugged her. "Congratulations!"

Katniss, in a fit of happiness, ran into the fabric store, telling Gale to "babysit the goat." Gale patiently waited, and Katniss came back out with a length of pink ribbon. She tied it onto the goat's neck.

"I'll carry it," Gale volunteered. He really wanted to see Prim's reaction.

Katniss was bubbly the whole way home.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Once Gale and Katniss reached the Everdeen residence, Gale entered and set down the goat on the kitchen table.

Prim came running into the room excitedly, jumping up and down, hugging everyone, and crying and laughing all at once. Mrs. Everdeen was hesitant, noticing the wounds. She started to work on the animal, and Prim quickly jumped in and assisted her. They ground up herbs and concocted brews. They coaxed the medicines down the goat's throat, and let it rest.

Gale said his goodbyes, and left.

If only they could stay happy forever, to freeze that moment and replay it again and again.

**A/N: Really long chapter! :D Okay, next chapter will be the epilogue! I think, at least. I'm not positive, but I believe so. How was this one? This chapter and the previous one were inspired by what Suzanne Collins wrote. She wrote about the goat thing, and in Catching Fire she mentioned how Katniss taught Gale to swim. **


	14. Chapter 13 Before The Storm

**A/N: Okay, I changed my mind X) I'm sorry! So, after THIS chapter will be the epilogue. I remembered one more scene Suzanne Collins mentioned in Mockingjay, and I have been waiting to write it out! Sorry! So I removed the last foreshadowing line from last chapter to incorporate into here. Enjoy! Sorry I took so long to update though!**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: I will be replacing chapter one, thanks to phoenixfelicis07 who pointed out something really important. It won't change the flow of the whole story, the scene just changes. Please go check it out when I'm done updating. I'll notify you guys when chapter one is up again through the next chapter, okay? :D**

Chapter 13

_TWO YEARS LATER - SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE 74TH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES_

It was a horrible day. Outside, there was a bitter wind, and the snow had been falling relentlessly for a week. Gale bundled himself up in his heavy duty clothing and some furs.

Hazelle pulled Gale down and kissed him softly on the forehead. "Be safe."

"Yeah, Mom, I will." Gale gave a quick wave, then slipped out of the warmth of the small house, into the blistering icy weather. Walking towards the woods, Gale tried to retain his warmth by hugging his arms to his chest. It was hard to see, and the snow was steadily coming down harder. Gale squinted, trying to see through the white blur.

"Gale!" Katniss' voice echoed all around in the woods.

"Katniss!" Gale responded. "Where are you? I can't see anything!"

Gale stumbled around blindly, bumping into trees and bushes, until he walked straight into Katniss. They both ended up on the cold slushy ground.

"Ah, damn." Gale staggered back up to his feet. He held out his hand and grasped Katniss' in his. "Sorry."

"No problem. This is terrible. How are we going to hunt?" Katniss huddled together with Gale, trying to share any warmth possible.

"I don't think we can do this," Gale said, fog escaping his mouth with each word.

"Yeah. We need to get out of here!" As she spoke, the snow started pouring down harder and heavier. "Come on!" It was already getting hard to here each other.

Gale led the way as best as he could, but he couldn't see at all, much less the way back to District 12. He walked along, and didn't realize that Katniss wasn't behind him until he reached the fence. Damn it all. He finally reached the fence and Katniss went missing. Gale turned back, trying to retrace his steps, but it was nearly impossible as fresh layers of snow had covered up any tracks there were there. Gale kept stumbling around, trying to find Katniss, until he heard a cry.

Gale ran towards the source of the noise, knowing that it was Katniss. "KATNISS! Where are you?"

"Gale! I'm over here!" Katniss shouted loudly. She kept shouting out to him until he managed to make his way to her.

"What happened?" Gale exclaimed, trying to be heard over the howling wind.

"I tripped over a fucking boulder! I can't walk, I think my knee got twisted." Katniss clutched onto Gale's arm, trying to get up.

Gale helped her stand up, and she promptly collapsed back down. "This isn't going to work Katniss."

She stubbornly protested. "Yes, it will!" She managed to get back up again, and fell down once more.

"Forget it." Gale swiftly bent down and swung Katniss up, supporting her with his arms.

Katniss let out a small shriek. "What the hell are you doing!"

"I'm saving your sorry ass," Gale tried to joke.

"Let me down!" Katniss thrashed and twisted, trying to break free from his iron grip.

"Nope. I'm taking you home." Gale clamped onto her even tighter, and eventually she gave up.

The pain and energy expended from wandering around in the blizzard must have exhausted Katniss, because she fell asleep in a bit, resting her head against Gale's shoulder. Gale cautiously made his way around the forest, and finally found the fence back to District 12. Gale bound through the slick snowy streets back to Katniss' home. At last he was there, and he burst through the door.

Mrs. Everdeen rushed out. "Katniss? Is that - ? Oh my goodness, what happened?" She was gasping, staring at Katniss' knee.

Gale stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do. "We were hunting, but it was snowing too hard, and we were trying to get back. She twisted her knee."

Mrs. Everdeen fluttered around Katniss. "Oh my. Put her down on the table." Mrs. Everdeen set down a cloth.

Gale gently put Katniss down. Her eyes fluttered open. She quickly shot up. "Why am I on the table?"

Gale looked at her. "Did you forget your twisted knee?"

Katniss looked at her knee. "Oh."

Mrs. Everdeen bustled around, mixing some herbal salve to help ease the pain. "Katniss! How do you feel?"

"Fine, Mom." Katniss seemed uneasy around her mother, and shrugged her mom's concerns away. Katniss turned to Gale. "Hunting tomorrow?"

Gale's eyebrows knit together in worry. "I don't think so. You need to rest."

Katniss rolled her eyes. "It'll be fine. Tomorrow?"

Gale knew there would be no changing her stubborn mind, so he agreed. "Tomorrow. Now rest."

Gale waved to Mrs. Everdeen. "Bye Mrs. Everdeen!"

"Goodbye Gale!" Mrs. Everdeen shut the door, sealing out the cold winds and frosty snow.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

The next day, the weather wasn't any better. The winds blew even harder this time, and had managed to knock over a few trees in the Seam. The snow seemed to be never ending, with inches upon inches of snow piling atop one another.

Gale groaned, knowing it would be horrible to trudge through this weather. He reluctantly left the cozy bed and pulled on his thickest, warmest pieces of clothing.

Hazelle gave him a hug, and he left, making his way through the snow, trying to meet Katniss. Eventually he made his way towards their usual meeting spot, and could barely make out a shivering Katniss.

Gale threw up his hands. "Catnip. Let's face it. It's impossible to hunt in this weather!"

Katniss just nodded, the crazy winds blowing the loose strands of her hair all around her face. Gale grabbed her hand, and they both slipped back into District 12 under the fence. Gale broke into a sprint and Katniss ran after him. As they ran, the snow came down harder than ever, and they barely made it to their destination.

At last they reached Greasy Sae's shack, and practically slammed into the door trying to get in. The little hut was overcrowded, filled with people trying to find refuge from the erratic weather.

"Woah there!" Greasy Sae peered over the counter and waved her wooden spoon at the pair. "What are you two doing, being out in this weather?"

Katniss smiled apologetically. "We were out trying to hunt, and couldn't make it home before the blizzard hit."

"Oh well. Sit down, you two. Let me get you some soup. I'm plumb out of any supplies, so it's made from wild dog bones from that dog you got me last week." She hustled away, preparing the bowls.

Gale managed to grab a stool and plopped down exhaustedly. Katniss searched for a chair, and eventually just hefted herself up onto the counter, sitting cross-legged.

Greasy Sae slid two bowls onto the counter. "Here it is."

Gale slipped her a few coins. "Thank you." Gale knew she hated when he paid for her, but today she didn't protest. She was too cold and too hungry, started scarfing down the piping hot soup. Gale followed her lead.

Next to her, Darius, a Peacekeeper, toyed with her braid, tickling it on her cheek. Gale saw Katniss swat his hand. Then Gale managed to overhear their conversation, and Darius mentioned how one of his kisses merited a rabbit, or possibly two, since everybody knew that red-headed men were the most virile. He pointed to various women around the room, saying, "See? The one in the green muffler? Go ahead and ask her. If you need a reference."

Gale felt a spark of irritation bubble up inside of him, and he fought to keep it down. Why did Darius have to be so annoying? He should leave Katniss alone. He ignored Darius, and resumed to slurping down his soup.

Finally, Darius grew bored of standing around, and bid Katniss goodbye and started flirting with another lady. Gale took this opportunity to capture Katniss' attention again. "Hey Catnip?"

She turned towards him. "What Gale?"

Gale hesitated. "I hope we have many more days like this."

Katniss looked confused. "Bad weather?"

Gale shook his head. "No. Just days with us together."

She smiled at him. "Of course we will." Then she did something she never did before. She bent down and kissed him on the cheek.

And Gale felt something in his heart. But in Panem, happiness doesn't last long.


	15. Chapter 14 Up You Go

**A/N: This is it. No more words to say. Thank you for your reviews. It was thanks to you guys I made it through this story. I love you all! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: If I own The Hunger Games, then Gale is with Katniss. Oh damn, she's with Peeta. I think it answers this question. NO, I DON'T OWN THE HUNGER GAMES. I used some quotes from the book though. **

**I** **now present you with the epilogue of _Looking Through Gray Stained Glass._**

Chapter 14

_SIX MONTHS LATER_

Gale's eyes snapped open. He couldn't sleep. Because today was the reaping. And his little brother, Rory, had finally turned twelve. Gale's nerves were on overdrive, and he decided to expend the extra energy on hunting.

He was early today. There was no light in the sky. Gale deftly slipped into the woods, and headed to the tree containing their weapons. His and Katniss's.

_Katniss_, Gale thought. She would be worried too. For Prim.

Gale shook away the gloomy thoughts, and started hunting. He shot everything. He shot a squirrel, a rabbit, and a bird.

Gale rested, exhausted. He decided to go to the Hob to trade for some food and money.

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At the Hob, Gale decided to pop in to the bakery and see if he could get some bread. Unless the bitchy wife was around.

Gale cautiously peered into the baker's back door. "Hello?"

Footsteps shuffled, and Gale prepared himself for the wrath of the baker's wife.

Luckily, it was the baker. "Hello, Gale."

"Hi, Mr. Mellark." Gale held up the squirrel he had shot earlier. "Here's a squirrel. I'd like half a loaf of bread please."

Behind Mr. Mellark was a blonde boy, around Katniss' age. "Peeta!" Mr. Mellark motioned to the loaves of bread resting on a rack. "Could you grab one?"

The boy, Peeta, grabbed the bread and handed it to Gale. Their eyes met momentarily, and they stared at each other.

Mr. Mellark took the squirrel. "Well thank you, Gale. Good luck today."

Gale nodded. "You too."

Gale walked around the Hob and traded off the rest of the game.

At last the sun peeked out, and some light shone down onto District 12. Gale knew Katniss would be heading to the Meadow. It was a rock hedge that overlooked the valley, protected by clumps of bushes.

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When Gale got to the woods, he sat down on the rock, and gazed down upon the valley. It was peaceful in the morning. It was a good time to think, while breathing in the fresh, brisk cold morning air.

While waiting for his best friend, Gale thought about life. His life. Her life. Their families' lives. How they were trapped here, stuck to be the Capitol's slaves. How they could do nothing but sacrifice their children to a sick, cruel form of entertainment for the Capitol. Angrily, he stuck an arrow into the bread he held.

Gale's thoughts were interrupted by the rustling of bushes. He swiveled around, and saw Katniss.

"Hey Catnip." Gale smiled at her. "Look what I shot." He held up the bread.

Katniss laughed. Gale's smile grew. He loved making her laugh, and her laugh had a magical effect on him. It always made him happy.

Katniss reached for the bread. "Mm, still warm. What did it cost you?"

Gale shrugged. "Just a squirrel. Think the old man was feeling sentimental this morning. Even wished me luck."

"Well, we all feel a little closer today, don't we?" Katniss retorted. She pulled out a small bundle. "Prim left us a cheese."

Gale brightened up. "Thank you, Prim. We'll have a real feast."

Gale suddenly slipped into a Capitol accent. "I almost forgot! Happy Hunger Games!" Gale reached out and plucked some berries from the bushes around them and threw one towards Katniss. "And may the odds -"

Katniss caught the berry in her mouth and replied, "- be _ever_ in your favor!"

Then they got down to business, preparing their food. Gale pulled out a knife and sliced the bread. He spread the cheese onto the bread and placed a basil leaf on each. Meanwhile, Katniss gathered berries.

They settled back in a nook in the rocks. From this area, they were unseen but could view the beautiful valley. It was teeming with summer life, greens to gather, roots to dig, fish iridescent in the sunlight. The sun shone down brightly, now filling up the brilliantly blue sky. A soft breeze swept across the district.

They enjoyed the food, savoring the cheese, the berries bursting in their mouths. Gale and Katniss enjoyed the silence, then he said something.

"We could do it, you know." He spoke quietly.

Katniss turned and looked at him. "What?"

"Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it." He looked into her eyes.

Katniss was silent.

"If we didn't have so many kids," Gale quickly added.

Katniss responded by saying, "I never want to have kids."

Gale thought about her comment for a second. "I might. If I didn't live here."

"But you do." Katniss' tone was irritated.

Gale felt annoyed. "Forget it."

They lapsed back into silence, both thinking about what the other had said.

Katniss broke the silence. "What do you want to do?"

"Let's fish at the lake. We can leave our poles and gather in the woods. Get something nice for tonight." Gale stood up and stretched.

Together they hunted and gathered vegetables and strawberries. On the way home, they swung by the Hob. They quickly traded six fish for bread, and two for salt. Greasy Sae took vegetables, in exchange for chunks of paraffin.

Once they were done at the market, they headed to Mayor Undersee's residence. They carefully snuck into the rich neighborhood, making sure no one saw them. It would be suspicious if two Seam kids kept sneaking around the rich part of town. So they tiptoed all the way to the mayor's back door. Katniss knocked on the door.

The door slid open quietly. The mayor's daughter, Madge, peers out. "Oh. Hello, Katniss. Gale."

Gale didn't know Madge personally. He only knew her because she was the mayor's daughter and sat with him and Katniss at school during breaks. He asked Katniss about it before, and she simply replied, "Madge is my friend." Gale never understood it, but he tolerated her. Today, she irritated him. Her drab school outfit had been replaced by an expensive white dress, and her blonde hair was done up with a pink ribbon, for the reaping.

Gale looked at her outfit, then remarked, "Pretty dress."

Madge gave him a look, as if unsure whether he genuinely meant it or if he was being sarcastic. After a moment, Madge pressed her lips together. "Well, if I end up going to the Capitol, I want to look nice, don't I?

Gale look slightly baffled, shocked that quiet richie-rich Madge Undersee would come up with a comeback. "You won't be going to the Capitol." Gale gazed at the small, circular pin resting on her dress. It was golden, with a gold mockingjay in the center. "What can you have? Five entries? I had six when I was just twelve years old."

Katniss turned and shot him a look. "That's not her fault."

Gale backed down. "No, it's no one's fault. Just the way it is."

Madge's face was apathetic, unreadable. "Good luck, Katniss."

Katniss replied, "You, too."

Madge closed the door, all the while staring at me. _What the hell was it?_ Gale thought. _Was that...hurt I saw in her eyes when I commented about her wealth?_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Gale and Katniss walked back to the Seam in silence. Gale glanced at Katniss, who seemed to be deep in thought. Gale raged over the unfairness in his head. How unfair that some were so well off they could afford pretty nice clothes to wear to the reaping. To wear a golden expensive pin just to show their wealth, their status, and only regard it as a trinket.

Once they reached the Hob again, the divided their goods, two fish, a couple of loaves of bread, greens, strawberries, salt, paraffins, and some money.

"See you in the square," Katniss muttured.

"Wear something pretty," Gale replied flatly. Gale watched her walk away, then turned and started home himself.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Once at home, Gale found his mother dressed up in her best dress, and Rory and Vick tugging uncomfortably at their dress shirts.

Hazelle glanced up upon his arrival. "Oh thank goodness Gale. Get Vick to comb their hair, please!" She had a panicked look in her eyes. At the same time, she was attempting to brush through all the tangles in Posy's hair.

Rory had already cleaned himself up, knowing that he should be mature because this was his first year eligible for the reaping.

Gale nodded. "Come on, kiddo. Let's get ready."

Vick pouted. "I don't want to."

Gale gave him a look. "You have to."

"Why?" Vick protested.

Gale sighed. "You know why."

Vick dropped his head resignedly and followed Gale into the wash room. Gale tackled Vick's head, and stopped when he was happy with the result.

Hazelle's voice rang out. "Ready Gale? Vick?"

Gale walked out. "Yeah."

Vick came out. "Done."

Hazelle smiled. "Good." She kissed his forehead. "You look dashing. My little boy."

Vick squirmed. "I'm not a little boy, Mom!"

Hazelle put her hands on her hips. "Alright. Let's go then."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

At the square, the air was filled with people, talking and chatting, even making bets.

Gale gave his mom, brothers, and Posy a hug. He slowly walked over to the crowd of eighteens. Gale stood next to Flynn.

"Nervous, Gale?" Flynn had an anxious look on his face.

"Yeah. Rory's first year, you know." Gale grimaced.

Flynn's face filled with sympathy. "I got you. I worry for Roshaile every year. Like now. She's only fourteen now. Four more years to go."

"Ah, I'm sorry. Dumping all my problems on you. Our lives are so fucked up," Gale replied.

Just then, the clock struck two. The mayor stepped up onto the stage and approached the podium. He started to read, telling the same story he did every year. The history of Panem and how the games came to be. Soon he reaches the list of past District 12 victors. There is exactly two. Only one is still alive - Haymitch Abernathy, a middle-aged man who was always drunk.

He reacted to his name being announced, as he staggered onto the stage just at that moment, collapsing into the third chair in the line of prim and proper officials.

The mayor tried to pull the crowd's attention back to the reaping by introducing Effie Trinket, District 12's escort.

This year, she had on a bright pink wig and a spring green suit.

"Ladies first!" Effie crossed the stage to the glass ball with the girls' names. She reached in, digging around.

When she pulled out a slip of paper, it was silent. So silent one could hear a pin drop. The only sound was Effie's heels clicking on the stage as she headed back to the microphone.

She opened her mouth. "Primrose Everdeen!"

Gale froze. Prim. Prim was going in the games. Gale whipped his head around, and saw little Prim slowly mounting the steps to the stage, her eyes revealing the fear and desperation.

Then he saw her. Katniss. She ran through the crowd, screaming, "Prim! Prim!" Katniss ran to the steps and shoved Prim behind her body. "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"

Confusion ensued. District 12 hadn't had a volunteer since...well, ever.

Effie Trinket beamed from the stage. "Lovely! But I believe there's the small matter of introducing the reaping winner and then asking for volunteers, and if no one does come forth, then we, um..." Her expression became unsure, then she glanced at Mayor Undersee.

The mayor had a pained expression on his face. "What does it matter? What does it matter? Let her come forward."

Prim screamed hysterically, crying and shouting. She clung onto Katniss with all her might. "No, Katniss! No! You can't go!"

Katniss kept her face hard. Gale could tell she was trying to hold back tears. "Prim, let go." Prim clutched her arm still. Katniss jerked her arm away. "Let go."

At this point, Gale felt his legs move by themselves. They led him over to Prim and Katniss. He grabbed Prim, tearing her away from Katniss.

Katniss turned around, looking into Gale's eyes.

Gale swallowed. "Up you go, Catnip." His voice is wavering, though he tried to keep it steady.

Gale walked away from the stage, holding Prim. He set her down next to Mrs. Everdeen, then turned back to the stage.

"Well, bravo!" Effie Trinket was positively bursting. "That's the spirit of the games! What's your name?"

Katniss was still. Then she said, "Katniss Everdeen."

Effie's grin widened. "I bet my buttons that was your sister. Don't want her to steal all the glory, do we? Come on, everybody! Let's give a big round of applause to our newest tribute!"

No one clapped. Not even the people who were betting on the tributes. Instead, every person touched their three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and held it out to Katniss. As a sign of admiration, of goodbye.

And Gale knew that his best friend, his Catnip, had just signed up for her own death.

**A/N: How was it? Review please! **

**IMPORTANT NOTE: PLEASE GO READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE, WHICH IS THE CHAPTER AFTER THIS! THANK YOU!**


	16. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Hey everyone! This is my author note concerning some topics related to this story!**

**1. There will be a sequel! The sequel will be the 74th Hunger Games, BUT IT WILL BE NON-CANON. **There will be a twist, and Peeta and Gale will BOTH HAVE EQUAL PARTS IN THIS STORY!****

**2. You don't have to read the sequel! The sequel will differ from the actual book, The Hunger Games, so this story can stand alone. This story actually started out as a prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy. **

**Thank you for reading _Looking Through Gray Stained Glass. _I have enjoyed going through this journey with all of you. This is my longest story to date. I loved writing for all of you guys, and your reviews make my day. Even when I reread them :)**

**Chapter one of the sequel, _The Mortem Circus, _is now up! Link is below:**

**fanfiction . net/s/7656511/1/The_Mortem_Circus**


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